Philadelphia 76ers Plan to Extend Star Center Joel Embiid

The Philadelphia 76ers continue to bank on All-Star center Joel Embiid as the franchise player. The 2014 third-overall pick entered the NBA with a foot injury, which kept him off the floor for his entire rookie year. 

When Embiid finally debuted for the Sixers during the 2016-2017 season, it was clear he was on the road to becoming an elite player.

While injuries have affected Embiid a lot over the last five seasons, the All-Star center is entering his prime and coming off an MVP-caliber year. To reward the 2021 MVP Finalist for all he's done so far, Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey and the Philly front office are giving the veteran center a monster extension.

According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Embiid's new contract has an extension of four years, worth the $196 million supermax. Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the extension keeps Embiid in a Sixers uniform through the 2026-2027 season and will guarantee him a total of $261 million over the next six seasons. 

Ever since Daryl Morey signed on with the Sixers as the team's President of Basketball Operations last season, he's made it clear that building the team around Embiid is the top priority. After Embiid averaged a career-high of 28 points per game while knocking down a career-best 51-percent of his shots from the field, 37-percent of his threes, and 85-percent of his free throws, it was clear Embiid is entering the best stage of his career, and another long-term commitment is worth it. 

Now that the Sixers locked Embiid in for an additional four years, Morey will now focus on surrounding the superstar big man with ideal pieces to try and make a championship run as early as next season. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.